The Bird scooters arrived within the past two weeks and saw them for the first time Saturday in the River Market. Additional transit methods encourage more downtown activity and point to a growing core. Exciting stuff!

The “vibe” of the century-old West Bottoms warehouses that have become synonymous with First Friday antique shopping and haunted houses caught the eye of a Cleveland-based developer planning a $68 million mixed-use development.

“We did look at buildings in River Market and Crossroads but just liked the vibe down in the West Bottoms,” said Melissa Ferchill, president of MCM Co. Inc.

More than 250 market-rate apartments, a restaurant and a small retail space, like a convenience store or coffee shop, are planned across three warehouses in the historic West Bottoms neighborhood. A fourth building will be converted into a parking garage with a car elevator. Residents of the loft buildings will have valet service, Ferchill said.

The South Loop decking proposal continues to evolve as a working committee prepares to discuss the ambitious concept with state transportation officials and a decision already made to drop one block from the plan.
The proposal, first reported in CityScene KC last March, calls for reconnecting downtown with the Crossroads by decking the South Loop (I-670) trench.

A study by HNTB engineering estimated a four-block stretch between Grand and Wyandotte could be covered with a landscaped park for about $139 million, significantly less than earlier decking proposals.